One important decision we need to consider when we start a small business is the proper software solution. Technology should be a key sized for any business, because our daily operation could depend on it. We should consider the current competitive business landscape and find out about the kind of software that is typically used by small businesses. Whatever the kind of software we choose, we should make sure to keep operational expenses low and productivity level high. This is the only way start-ups can properly leverage their software-based technology. They need to acquire or purchase the right kind of software solutions that can properly meet the daily business demands. Such a task will require intensive time management and effort, but it can eventually be achieved.

For small businesses, it should be quite natural for them to consider about budgeting. They may need to decide about the total budget that should be committed towards the actual purchase of software. Not all businesses are capable of committing a large amount of purchase towards purchasing a piece of software. As an example, companies could prefer to make smaller monthly purchases, starting from the most essential software. But, once we have set our budget, it should be possible for us to explore different payment arrangement options, as well as sources of funding.

It is also important for us to determine our requirements, because we could solve our problems only by identifying requirements. We could start by making a list of software based on the degree of importance, so we know what software is must-have and which one is only good-to-have.

Regardless of the type of our businesses, there are decisions that we need to make. But we need to consider that, the software for a marketing agency could be different from companies who operate small freight trucking business. We should understand our priorities and examine process that we need to have. We should also know what new capabilities that we should have in the future. This could be achieved by creating a list of essential requirements. As a part of this process, we need to identify key areas in our business where a solution should be deployed. Also, depending on our niche, we need to perform researches to determine whether a solution for our specific needs are actually exists. If not, we may need to hire some software developers to build new solution that match our requirements. It means that we should be willing to custom-build an application from scratch, so it will be fully optimized for our requirements.

The decision-making process shouldn’t only involve business owners and other managers; but also lower-level employees who will operate the software. This could help us arrive at an informed decision-making process. It means we shouldn’t purchase or develop software without identifying our requirements. We also shouldn’t start without a list of candidate products that could match our requirements. If possible, we should test multiple software products based on likely scenarios in our company.